§ 13. Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 2142 why the Acting First Secretary to His Majesty's High Commissioner in Egypt is paid by the Egyptian Government; and how long this arrangement has been in operation?
Mr. A. HENDERSONThe arrangement in question has been in operation since the middle of January. British officials in the Egyptian service have on several occasions in the past been thus lent by the Egyptian Government to the Residency, and the arrangement has proved to be in the public interest.
§ Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEHas the gentleman in question been brought to this country to advise the Foreign Office or to advise the delegation; and, if to advise the Foreign Office, can the right hon. Gentleman give any reason why the judicial adviser employed by the British Government should not have been brought over?
Mr. HENDERSONYes, one very substantial reason is that he has been there for 10 years; he knows the local position well; he is an Englishman whom we can trust, and the High Commissioner placed such reliance upon his experience and judgment that he requested that he should be allowed to accompany him.
§ Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEI take it that the right hon. Gentleman's reply does not suggest that the Judicial Commissioner is not equally reliable, but, assuming that that is so, is it not strange that the person who was previously in the employment of the financial adviser in Egypt, and who was refused re-employment by a British official in Egypt, should now be brought here to give advice to the Foreign Office?
Mr. HENDERSONThat may be so, but I was guided in this matter by the judgment of the High Commissioner.
§ Captain CROOKSHANKAre we to understand that the Foreign Secretary is always guided by the advice of his representative in Egypt?
§ Captain CROOKSHANKWhy this distinction between the present adviser of the Government and Lord Lloyd?